The Horse Adjutant clearly understood the depth of the depravity we had been through. 1945 to 1949 ushered in a liberal trend within the new Polish government. When the war ended, Poland was well within the Soviet sphere of influence. The Al- lies took back France and Russia and all the satellite countries surrounding its Western border. Berlin was caught in the crosshairs of both. The superpowers split Berlin in half to solve the stalemate. The trouble was the Allied half was totally surrounded by Rus- sian territory. There was no access by road or rail; it was cut off. It was an island in an ocean of red with a hammer and sickle as companions. To keep West Berlin in western hands, the Allies launched an unprecedented airlift; it was the only way to bring in goods to the beleaguered city. Poland was now firmly behind the Russian Iron Curtain. Many Poles felt hurt and betrayed, feeling the West abandoned them, first, by not following through on the treaties before the war, and now by leaving Poland behind the Iron Curtain. The Jews came back, but so many were gone it was nothing like it was in the past. Throughout the transition, I did notice a respite in religious discrimination, but it was just that. It wasn’t going to be long until repression started again. At least for a couple of years, we could recuperate. The Jews were eager to accept new jobs, especially in government. They needed them badly. I liked knowing at least some Jews were representing us in the new government. My attitude toward education completely turned around. I decided to major in communi- cations. When I was about to finish my formal education, I started seeing Anti-Semitic feelings emerge again. Most of it was driven by the Allies’ relationship with Russia. It did not help that the U.S.A. became a sponsor of the new State of Israel. As the West blossomed, the East paid dearly in the form of Communist repression. I was caught in the middle, my love for Israel, respect for the idea of America, a State based on ac- knowledging religious differences, and my Polish, now Russian-dominated, homeland. In 1946, the tides fully changed. I was now a Sergeant in the Polish army, eventually with a staff of 30 men. Our charter was the public safety of Poland. As such, I was as- signed to fighting bandits. The Ukrainians, who were in the SS, were immediately court-martialed and sent home. This was just a slap on the wrist and would prove to be a problem shortly there- after. Those fellows were hardened warriors who were allowed to go home with their status virtually intact. There was no way to rehabilitate all of them. Someone had to pay for all the deaths and mayhem. I saw a group of fellows shackled together with a wooden sign that read, ‘Traitors of the Nation.’ I can’t say I did not smile; it felt good to be on the other side of justice.
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